Following the team with a unique perspective on all things Phillies. Email me: PhilliesPhollowers@comcast.net – Peace, Love & Baseball – Jenn

Utley Goes Inside The Park To Help Phils Win

The Phillies got behind early against the Reds last night who scored 3 runs in the 2nd inning, but Chase Utley was not giving up so soon.In the 3rd, Utley hit a ball which bounced off the centerfield wall as he rounded the bases; Utley was so fast that he scored standing and the Reds did not even bother throwing home.Here are a few shots from that home run:

After that, back-to-back doubles from Ryan Howard and Jayson Werth brought the Phillies within a run.Werth also hit a solo homer, the over-the-wall kind, in the 6th; it was his 4th consecutive game with a home run and his 20th of the season.In fact, that home run made history for the Phillies; they are the first National League team ever to have 4 players with 20 home runs before the half way point of the season.

Jamie Moyer struggled last night, but the offense picked him up and even got him the win with a final score of 9-6.Moyer pitched 5 innings and allowed 6 runs on 8 hits and a walk.Chan Ho Park was amazing through 3 innings of relief pitching and did not surrender any hits.Park has really found his groove in the pen and triumphed over his disappointment about not starting.He appears so happy and relaxed that on Wednesday, he danced around the field with a “Vote Victorino” sign and then last night, I watched during batting practice as he played catch with a bunch of kids in the stands for a good 5 minutes.Park has really found a home here in Philly and, more importantly, in the bullpen.

Pitching Search Heats Up

Rumors abound that the Phillies are close to a deal with former Met, Pedro Martinez.Many teams have scouted Pedro, but none have shown any interest.Martinez returned to the Mets in 2008 after a hamstring injury and was simply not the same pitcher after that.No one picked him up in 2009 so he continues to try to prove he can still pitch.In my opinion, this guy is done and the Phillies need not take out the trash.But if you follow the Phillies, you know that they have a penchant for doing just that.It is the trash to treasure mentality.Sometimes it works out (ie: Scott Eyre) and sometimes, it is a disaster (ie: Freddie Garcia…the 10 million dollar disaster).To me, Martinez is a disaster waiting to happen.He is almost 38 years old, appears unable to recover from injury and has a long history of mental issues.Not to mention, can every other team in major league baseball who has passed on him be wrong?It is a scary thought.

All-Star Update

Phillies fans united this week and voted Shane Victorino into the All-Star game! Victorino thanked the fans last night as he waved to the crowd during warm-ups.He will join teammates Utley, Ibanez and Howard in St. Louis for his first All-Star experience.Congratulations to Shane!!!!!

And as always, here is a Photo Album from last night’s game.I did not have great seats, so these are not as fun as the ones I usually post, but it is a different perspective :O)

And finally, I would like to dedicate this blog to the memory one of my best friends, Fuzz the cat, who had watched Phillies games with me for the last 15 years.He was a big fan as well and I will miss him very much :O(

6 Comments

The worst thing about Utley’s home run was Chris Dickerson not even backing up the play. He just watched it. You can’t make those kind of mistakes against a team like the Phillies and expect to have a chance.Russhttp://wight4256.mlblogs.com

What happened to Fuzz the cat? Was he sick, or just old age? Either way, it’s always sad to lose a beloved pet – sorry he won’t be watching any more games with you.😦
As for Pedro, the last thing the Phillies need is another aging pitcher who can’t go deep into games. The bullpen gets enough work as it is. We need a younger arm!
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